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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bank — of a river
  3. last — final
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stand — to bear
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — finally
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — what's left
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — a law
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rule — government
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — to go on
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com